


Relaxation

by snazzelle



Category: Ghost Adventures RPF
Genre: Boys Kissing, Flirting, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Humor, M/M, Male Slash, Romance, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-07
Updated: 2013-02-07
Packaged: 2017-11-28 12:02:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/674180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snazzelle/pseuds/snazzelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>100 of the 100 word challenge.<br/>Roni and Nick have decided that their love for each other has turned into something more like a friendship. It's just easier to stay married for now.<br/>Now Nick is a little overworked and more than a little frustrated. Its so much Roni decides she's going to send him off to Zak. She knows there's a little something going on between Zak and Nick and she just hopes that a few weeks with the older man would make her husband-turned-friend less of an ass.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Relaxation

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a friend who challenged me to write something that does not contain any smut. Here it is lol

This was stupid. Really, it was. So he's been a little busy lately, you know, with the family and such, and besides work he didn't really hang out with his friends. Did it hurt? It didn't, and Nick didn't mind if at the end of the day he fell over exhausted because then he knew he did a damn good job watching over his kid and going over his segment of evidence. 

So he didn't quite get it when his wife told him he needed to get out of the house for a few days. _Excuse me?_ He may of scoffed a little and that only made his wife a little more adamant that he go. Was he being kicked out of the house? He didn't like it, and really she couldn't blame him when he narrowed his eyes at her and asked why. He had things to do here, at home, and obligations he just couldn't drop. Then she told him she had it taken care of.

_Why_.

Oh.

And that made him laugh and raise an incredulous eyebrow. _Zak._ And wasn't he the bane of her existence? Nick was beyond confused now, and that conversation ended with him running off into the backyard to grab his dog for a walk. When he came back two hours later, and four hours before sundown, a plane ticket was slapped into his hand, his luggage was rolled to his feet, and a kiss was placed on his cheek. _Are you_ kidding _me?_

She wasn't and five minutes later a taxi was waiting outside for Nick, Annabelle hugged his legs, and he was on the next flight to Vegas.

It really went way too fast for even Nick to process and it seriously felt like Roni snapped her fingers and he was suddenly teleported to the Las Vegas airport, waiting for his bag. So he jumped when Zak clapped his shoulder and spun him around, his eyes wide as he met those friendly blues.

“Woah, there,” the older man laughed and grabbed the fist around the wrist before it connected with his gut. Lucky bastard. “Man, its good to see you too.”

Nick sighed and faced the belt again. He swore he just saw his luggage the moment Zak decided to jump him, “Was this your idea?”

“My idea?”

“Gettin' me here, G. You know I got shit to do.” His luggage came around once more and this time he did manage to get his hands on it. Jesus. It felt like he was carrying a month's worth of shit in there. 

“You always got shit to do.” He heard Zak mumble. Nick thought he would be able to ignore him until Zak dropped him off to his hotel, but Zak spoke up a little louder, “You've been an ass since last month, bro, you need a break.” 

They started to leave. “So you got me a vacation. You _somehow_ persuaded Roni-”

“-It didn't take much, G. You've been an _ass_ -”

“-you got me time away from my _family_ , for what? To hang out?”

There was an awkward silence for a moment and looking over Nick felt he may have been a little harsh, but before he could take back the words, Zak said, “Well, yeah. It used to help before you left.”

Nick inhaled through his teeth and he just stopped himself from cursing. He rubbed his brow and stopped at the back of Zak's Jeep and hefted the bag in when the trunk opened. He looked at Zak again and tried to crack a smile, “I guess it did.” Zak just laughed.

“What happened back home, man. That looked like it hurt.” 

Okay, he might just hit him. Nick snorted as he took his spot in the passenger's, ignoring the question because honestly, everything was fine. “Where am I stayin'?”

“With me.”

No way. “G...”

“Come _on_ , Nick. I promised Roni I'd keep an eye on you.” 

“What did she tell you?'

“Well...” Nick didn't miss the curl of Zak's lips, “She said we could share the bed.”

And _finally._ Finally things were making sense. He turned in his seat, feeling his spirits lift a little once Zak met his eyes again, those crystal blues dancing under the street lights. “This is a set up. You fucking _got_ her to...”

“Dude. That conversation wasn't as painful as you think. She's known you for years, and hell, we're not as discreet as we thought.” The light turned green and Zak was off again, his fingers walking up Nick's thigh. Nick shoved them off.

“Its hard to be discreet when you make out with a guy that _bites_ , Zak.” 

“Hey. What can I say.” Nick rolled his eyes.

“I'm taking the guest's.”

Zak pouted, “Nick!”

 

Nick slept soundly that night that when he got a call in the morning, he did not snap at the person on the line. In fact, the person on the other line sounded damn right surprised.

“Good morning to you too, Nick. Must of been _real_ good.”

He paused and coughed when he realized the implication. “Good _God_ , V, can you not do that?” He took the laughter on the other-side with good humor, “Its only good because I got myself, what, ten hours of sleep? A lot more than what I need.”

“You're sure about that? Dear, you know _I_ know what's going on between you and Zak.”

At first Nick blinked in confusion, but then he remembered the conversation yesterday. Zak and Veronique had talked. God _knew_ what bullshit Zak had been telling her.

“You know we haven't even shared a hotel room yet?”

“Bull, Nick.”

Nick laughed, “Veronique, we're not sleeping together.”

A pause. “That son of a-”

“Watch it, I can hear Annabelle in the area.” It amused him when he heard that curse come out as a whisper. “So what's up?” 

“Oh, you know. I just wanted to see if you got there safely.” Nick smirked. He could just hear the disappointment in her voice.

“Liar. You wanted to catch us in the middle of something.”

“I didn't say that.”

“You didn't have to.” There was a pause on the other side and he could hear Roni showing Annabelle how to play with a toy before she came back.

“So you're telling me he didn't top-”

“Roni, bye.” And he chucked his phone to the end of his bed with a laugh. When he felt the phone start to vibrate, he kicked it off his bed, and felt he could take another hour to just lay there in the warm sheets. He's gotta ask where Zak got these...

“Hey.” 

Shit. He groaned into the sheets and mumbled a “leave me alone”, but it seemed the visitor didn't take the hint. He felt the tugs on the blanket and he growled, “Zak, I'm sleeping..?”

“You're awake. I heard you talking to the woman.” Zak said with a smile and took a seat when he knew he wasn't going to win this tug-a-war. Nick looked over the blanket and groaned again.

“For fuck's sake, put a shirt on.”

Zak looked down at his own body, “What, we're all guys here.”

“Doesn't mean its okay for... that,” he threw an arm at the other male, “when I'm in bed like this,” he gestured to his own body now on display, thanks to the dick pulling the blanket down his torso. He rubbed his eyes and pushed a hand through his short hair as he pinned Zak with his eyes, “What do you want?”

“I want you down for breakfast.” Was the simple answer and Nick really should of expected the saucy grin Zak shot him, “Or, you know, we could eat up here.” 

Nick rolled his eyes, “Come'ere,” and placed a hand on Zak's waist when he came near, lifting his chin a bit to get that morning kiss he was sure Zak was looking for. He could feel Zak smile, even as their mouths move and the sounds of their lips smacking was certainly arousing, but Zak placed a hand on Nick's shoulder and shook him lightly against the bed before anything got too far. “Okay, I can only take so much of that before you brush your teeth.”

“You dick.” Nick snorted and made to get off the bed, ignoring the once over he received when he revealed to only be in his tight boxers. He thought, hell, why not tease Zak a bit, give as good as he got, but it wasn't worth his time. Scratching his chest, he pointed to the open door, “Get out.”

“You can't do that to me, G.” Zak complained and Nick raised an eyebrow.

“Zak, get your ass out of my room.” He pointed to the door again.

The older man crossed his arms over his chest and stomped out with a mumbled, “It's _my_ room. I'm just letting you stay.”

When Nick came down fully dressed, teeth brushed, and face washed, he found Zak already sitting at the table, poking at a plate of eggs, while bacon still cooked on the stove. The older man smiled widely and was about to say something, but his cellphone buzzed beside him and he looked at the message and laughed instead.

Nick shook his head with a fond snort before taking a seat. He watched Zak answer that text, or more like, the play of emotion that brightened his face. Zak stopped mouthing his words on his message to say, “You told the wife. Oh my God, Nick.” The giggles he made always seemed misplaced on that man, but it was cute enough for Nick to smile to.

“I corrected you. I can't believe you told her I slept with you. Are you talkin' to her?” He couldn't beat down the grin and when Zak looked up, it didn't seem the other man could either. 

“She believed me, bro.” He didn't answer the question, but by now it was quite obvious.

Nick let out an amused huff and gave Zak a crooked smile. “Like I'd let you top. Tell her I said hello.”

“Hey, a lady hears what she wants to hear, man.” the older man said nonchalantly and sent of the short message. The challenge in his eyes was unmistakeable, even as he got up to check on the bacon. 

Nick grabbed Zak's phone as the he got the food ready and pressed in the four-digit code thoughtlessly. He remembered how flustered Zak had been when he first got the phone unlocked, but the other man had never bothered to change the code. He read through the messages, snickering at the disgruntled message his wife sent to Zak. 

“Give that to me- stop that.” Zak admonished and grabbed the phone and pocketed it. A large plate was set in front of them and a fork was shoved into his empty hand. 

They ate in mostly silence and it was comfortable. Occasionally Zak would playfully steal the piece Nick was going after, but it never really got a rise from Nick. He was more amused than anything, especially when Zak would look up at him with playful glee. Nick was just glad he wasn't   used for target practice.

He felt a light light kick to his shin, “So, what do you want to do while you're here?”

Nick made a show of thinking, brown eyes getting lost in the high ceiling as he chewed. He could practically feel Zak get impatient. “I don't know, what do people usually do in Vegas.”

“Stop messin' around, Nick.” Zak groused jokingly. “You haven't visited in how many months. I'm sure you miss something.” 

Nick shrugged, “To be honest, I missed coming back here. That's it. I'm tired of out there-”

“Yeah, yeah, noisy and annoying Vegas lights. You hate that.”

“- and I only look forward to coming back here with you the few times we do do our investigations in this city. Which isn't so often any more.” In fact, he hasn't come by in nearly half a year, but after the few failed investigations in Vegas he had no reason to. “I guess I missed you and this house  more than I thought.” The blush he received was well worth the admission.

“You see me the times we go travel places...”

“For like a total of three days at a time, G. It's not enough.” 

“Well.” Zak huffed and shyly evaded Nick's eyes. _Emotions_. Can't deal... “I-I... um.” 

Nick finished up the last of the eggs and kicked back playfully, “You missed me.”

Zak deflated and nodded, “A bit, dude. Yeah.” He licked his dry lips and bravely looked back, saying cheekily, “So you gotta make up for it.” 

Both of Nick's eyebrows crawled up his forehead, “Make up for what?”

“For not being here!” Zak said, excitement in his voice. He grabbed the plate and practically threw it into the sink. “We're gonna go out.”

“Like... a date?” Nick asked as Zak moved back and forth, trying to find a sponge. It wouldn't take too long to clean. “Zak, am I taking you out on a date?”

The sound of silverware clanking on plates and glass ceased for a moment and he watched the strong line of Zak's shoulders as the other man shrugged. He could see his ears coloring from where he was behind Zak.

“Are you?”

Nick felt the bubble of laughter before he could swallow it, “Oh my God, Zak. You're such a girl.”

“I could still break you in half, Groff!”

“Okay, okay, man- don't threaten me with a fork!”

A couple of hours later found the men in Zak's Jeep because Nick wanted to drive and Zak was no way in _hell_ allowing Nick to drive his sports car. That was fine with Nick, who actually preferred the bigger car to the bat mobile. 

Nick unconsciously rubbed his side where Zak managed to land a well placed slap on his ribcage. After that 'girl' comment, they had wrestled on the kitchen floor and Nick couldn't remember the last time he laughed so much. Slaps and pinches were soon replaced with tickles and it was hard not to laugh his ass off when he managed to get Zak flat on his back, his hands under his shirt, and the older man red in the face as his high-pitched laughter filled the room. Nick refused to stop, how could he, when Zak laughed and smiled like that, but Zak kept trying to tell him he couldn't breathe and as a result Nick got a pretty big hand-print shaped bruise on his side.

Zak must of noticed because over the music, Nick heard Zak say, “I'm sorry, man.”

“I don't blame you. I would of done the same thing.” Nick consoled and let go of his side to pat Zak's knee. He left his hand there, but a few seconds later Zak picked it up to play with his fingers. He felt a ring being slid onto his thumb, and looking over he gave Zak a curious look.

“Just for the day, dude, okay? I put too many rings on.” 

Nick almost didn't catch that, the blue eyed man mumbled that a little too quickly, but he didn't comment. Instead, he manoeuvred his hand a bit to thread his fingers between Zak's, holding his hand for what feels like the first time. It might have been a little forward of himself, because they didn't really. They've been taking it slow so far. After all, they see each other probably a total of six days a month. It's like starting over every single time they manage to get alone.

He could feel Zak's fingers twitch against the back of hand making Nick smile wryly, but they soon settled. Zak continued to play with the ring on his thumb.

“This is nice.”

“You're so awkward.” 

“Shut up. And watch for that pothole. My baby can't take that.” 

Nick chuckled and did as the older man said, anything to save that four-wheeler in the back. Nick almost couldn't believe that Zak wanted to hit the dunes, but he should of known. 

They reached their destination and the sun beating down on their backs was not something Nick found very pleasant. Nick squatted under the shadow of the Jeep as Zak inspected his quad and it slowly dawned on Nick just how close they were going to be. He felt a little nervous as Zak straddled the quad and keyed it on. 

Zak looked over his shoulder, “Well? Get on here!” There was just enough space for Nick to sit behind him, but it was going to be interesting.

“Tell me again why you wanted to do this for our first date?” Nick asked dryly before using Zak's shoulder to pull himself on top of the vehicle. Zak whined as he pressed down a little harder than necessary. Amusement coursed through every fiber of his being and he felt like annoying Zak a little bit.

Zak ribbed him when Nick settled behind him, “You're lucky I didn't want to go out shooting. I thought you'd like this.”

“I'm certainly... closer than usual.” Nick continued in that tone and placed his hands on Zak's waist. 

“You love it.”

“Just go.” 

Nick jolted forward and an arm wound around Zak's body as the older man blasted off in some random direction. Zak laughed and Nick rolled his eyes, mumbling about how he was going to get back at Zak one way or another. The older man answered him with a quick swerve to the left, sending sand flying around them.

They drove far from where Nick parked the Jeep and after the initial scare, it seemed Zak chose for a simple joy ride. Nick let go moments ago, holding onto the back of the seat as Zak sped through the sand, weaving around the dunes in smooth circles. There was no mistaking the content curl of his lips and he never felt more fond of the other man. He was really enjoying the ride, that is, until Zak started to get a little more daring.

“Woah- Zak!” Nick startled and reached for Zak's waist again. The older man looked over his shoulder with a laugh. “Fucking keep your eyes ahead of you!”

“Jeez, Nick, you know I know how to drive this!”

“I know you know how to tip us over,” Nick growled and kept one hand holding tightly at the edge of the seat while he held on to the other with his other arm. He sighed as Zak had them flying off a dune and landing safely. “I thought I came here to relax.”

Zak snorted. Then he grunted as Nick crashed into his back after flying over a small bump neither of them saw. “We're relaxed.”

Nick groaned, feeling like the air was knocked out of him. Zak didn't slow down, so the younger man held onto Zak with both hands now, hoping he didn't end up flying off of the quad. It literally took another hour before he got used to Zak's erratic driving and from there he found he was really starting to enjoy the ride, seeing why Zak looked for this sort of rush. 

They stopped over a dune to catch their breath and stretch their legs. Zak was the first to dismount and stretched his arms high over his head before turning towards Nick with a grin. 

Nick took a deep sigh and stepped off the vehicle as well. He gave Zak a little breathy laugh, the corners of his lips lifted crookedly as he shook his head in disbelief. “What are we doing here?”

“I need a break.” Zak said and Nick could just see his eyes squinting behind his sunglasses, “And I kind of need to orient myself. I'm not exactly sure where we are.” 

Both of his eyebrows shot up. “We're lost.”

“We're not _lost_.”

“Admit it. We're lost.” Nick said, but he was more amused that annoyed. He leaned against the quad and crossed his arms, watching Zak look around. He was far less angry than he thought he would be in such a situation. Zak removed his sunglasses and Nick was happy to see those clear blue eyes.

“Don't freak out on me.”

Nick raised an incredulous brow. “Does it look like I'm freaking out?” Zak rounded his gaze over to him.

“I don't know. You haven't been a ray of sunshine lately.”

“I'm feelin' a lot better now, G. Trust me.” He patted the empty spot next to him, “Take a break.”

They sat in silence and Nick watched Zak draw circles in the sand with his foot. It was honestly a tiny bit awkward, but he didn't think it was on his side. He could practically feel the energy in Zak building, but Nick favored to ignore it until the older man did something about it. Instead, he enjoyed what was before him, taking in nature at its best with the one man he could let himself completely let go with.

Zak coughed, that forced kind when he just stops himself from saying something, and Nick couldn't stop the corners of his lips from curling into that mute smile. Nick licked his dry lips and lowered his head a bit, at least stopping the small laugh from bubbling from his chest. He could see Zak turn his head towards him, but he didn't say anything.

“Zak, what?”

“You're suppose to kiss me now.”

“What?” Nick laughed a bit, but Zak just scowled a little more.

“This is romantic. It worked with the chicks I'd bring out here.”

“Romantic? Zak, we're in the middle of nowhere and I think the sun is trying to burn through me. You don't even know where we are.”

Zak flushed and Nick was sure it wasn't because of the heat. “ I tried, didn't I?”

Nick laughed shortly and threw his arm over Zak's shoulder. There was no way now that something could ruin this day, not after this. He'd hate to even say it, but this was just entirely too precious- especially for Zak. He kissed the other man's shoulder, relishing their closeness. Even his eyes smiled as he met those embarrassed blues. “You did.”

“Then... um,” Zak started, distracted as he scanned Nick's face before landing on his mouth, “don't I at least get one?”

The grin wouldn't leave and he ran  the tip of his tongue at the back of his teeth in thought as he leaned in. “You know I'd never stop you if you wanted a kiss, right?”

Zak nodded twice and finally pulled Nick in by the back of his neck, their lips slamming together a little too roughly at first. Nick grunted as Zak kneaded their lips together, gently sucking on his lips that just ached a bit. His eyes fluttered closed and Nick couldn't describe the feeling kissing Zak gave him. Nick started nipping back, hearing that soft groan that just did things to his body before slipping his tongue between Zak's lips. Nick sighed as their tongues battled lazily between their mouths, but he pulled away just as he felt a curious hand trail down his chest.

“G...”

“What, I wasn't gonna do anything.”

Nick shook his head with an amused huff and pulled Zak against him as he kissed his jaw, the corner of his mouth, and then on his lips again. “When we get back. Maybe we can play around a bit.”

“Dude, really?” Zak asked excitedly as he wound his arms around Nick's chest. Nick let one of his hands drift to the curve the Zak's back, thumb lightly grazing up and down his spine. The older man tilted his head a bit, breath hitching as Nick breathed and dragged his lips against the sensitive skin of his neck. 

He shrugged and lightly shoved Zak away once he got him a bit flustered, “I don't see why not.” He dragged his eyes down Zak's body before looking up at him with a teasing grin.

“Well, fuck. Move, why don't you.” Zak growled and straddled the quad once more. Nick sat behind him again and tried not to laugh as he felt Zak shudder when he placed his hands on his hips.

“Don't you dare tease me while I drive this thing, Groff.”

“Wouldn't dream of it.”

They started going back the way they came and soon the older man was confident in the direction they were heading off. That confidence meant he got a little more trickier as he drove over hills and dunes, making the both of them laugh and smile. 

\---------

When they got home, it was well past sunset and both men were tired and more than a little bruised up. Zak flipped the lights on and looked over his shoulder. Nick raised that brow. He started snickering.

“Oh my god, Nick, I'm sorry.”

The younger man started laughing too, but he brought their mouths together, kissing him quiet. He lightly bumped foreheads since it was probably the only thing on them that hurt the least, “I _told_ you you were gonna flip it.”

“I didn't think it would hurt,” Zak whined, “I've fallen off of it before.” He carefully extracted himself from Nick's hold to let Gracie out of her crate and soon the excited pup was running around their feet. Nick followed them into the kitchen, watching Zak fill a bowl of water before talking to him again. 

“We fell on top of each other.”

“Yeah, and you're _heavy_ , Nick.” 

He laughed and accepted the invitation for bed. He didn't miss the way Zak looked at him questioningly from his bedroom door when Nick went towards his own. “I'll be there in a minute.”

He undressed there and changed into some sweats in front of the mirror. The bruises on his pale skin stuck out and he could only imagine what Zak looked like. Despite the fall, he couldn't muster up any anger at the other man. And even though he hurt at the moment, he couldn't forget how much fun he had. Nick heard his name and grabbing a shirt, he entered Zak's room.

The raven looked Nick up and down from where he sat on the bed, “Why are you dressed.”

“Why are you?”

Zak started giggling again, his shoulders shaking as he let himself fall into the pillows to muffle himself. “I hurt all over.” Nick heard him whine.

Nick snorted and threw his shirt on the floor. Zak wasn't wearing one, and the warm touch of his skin would be soothing. “Who's fault was that?” He heard something like, “Don't talk to me, Groff,” muffled into the pillows.

The younger man went to his side, getting himself under the blanket before reaching over to land a resounding smack to Zak's butt. Zak only lifted his head to pout at him.

“Get under the blanket.”

“You said we'd play.”

“That was before I let you almost kill me.” Nick didn't think Zak could deepen that pout, but he did, and Nick lightly tugged on his hair to get him moving, “Come on, we could cuddle.”

Zak sighed and relented. With Nick's help, he was under the blankets and tucked into his arms. “Don't squeeze me, I'm hurting.”

Nick rolled his eyes, saying tiredly, “You're laying on me and I'm not complaining.” He smiled into Zak's hair. The other man only grunted and Nick answered the kiss to the hallow of his neck with one of his own to the other's forehead. It was silent for a good moment, but Nick knew the other man was awake with the way he kept playing with the ring Nick still wore on his thumb. Zak shifted a little.

“Can I tell your wife about this?” He asked playfully, but Nick knew he was serious. 

“You could tell her I'm less frustrated.” Nick mumbled and stilled Zak's fingers when he threaded his own between them in a loose hold. 

Zak nodded, “Yup. I definitely cured that.” He paused and Nick looked down, noticing the slight smirk in the near dark. “I bruised you up pretty good.” Nick sighed dramatically. There was no stopping Zak and Nick wasn't going to let that ruin the time he was given with the other man. 

“You won't even be able to count the ones I'll put on you, Zak.”

“Nick, is that a promise?”


End file.
